By Nadine Schulz, MA International Fashion Marketing student at Regent’s
On Tuesday 10 March, MA International Fashion Marketing students welcomed guest speaker Joseph Velosa, Co-Founder and Company Director at Matthew Williamson, for an insightful presentation on strategies to accelerate a brand.
Now dedicating most of his time to coaching while remaining actively involved with the Williamson brand, Velosa shared an honest account of his journey through the London fashion industry. He also openly shared details about his personal and professional experiences, from the high points of his career to the challenges when building the company. I learned about how valuable it is to be true to yourself, give as much as you can to a project and never take your eye off the goal.
Velosa described how the brand evolved into various other fields, aside from fashion, such as: Interior Design, writing, designing awards, and finally opening a concept store in Mallorca. The emotional connection to the island was one of the highlights of Joseph’s presentation. It inspired me to not only look for a career-path in fashion in major metropolitans like London, Paris and New York, but to really think outside the box.
What’s special about having an industry speaker come to Regent’s is that we get an authentic insight into the realities of building a reputation in the industry and the challenges designers face. As for marketing, Joseph emphasised the importance of keeping up with trends and caring for your brand identity, and that being flexible is key. Trends shape consumer perception and reveal whether a brand has a strong identity or simply follows others. Joseph spoke about the importance of finding a balance between the two. Being agile and open-minded to opportunities is another aspect he addressed. He gave an example of how Prince came to perform at one of their London shows, requiring them to quickly adapt what they had already prepared at short notice.
A lasting memory from that day was how, in spite of all his success, Joseph was very humble and kind. This to me demonstrated how connecting with new individuals can be meaningful. It is vital because new connections not only further your circle but enable you to learn more about the fashion and marketing industry.
Having Joseph Velosa guide us, alongside our wonderful module leader, helped because the feedback seemed less academic and more creative. I personally enjoyed having his insight particularly for that reason, because it felt more real. Fashion branding no longer felt like a class I was taking; it felt like an assignment I was given by Mathew Williamson and Joseph. The excitement, expectations and motivation tripled.
Joseph Velosa reflected: ‘It was a great experience to give a lecture and work with the MA students on their fashion brand project. Hearing new ideas and fresh perspectives on how to build modern, relevant, and value-driven brands was a real treat and encouragement that things are truly changing in this space for the next generation.’